Only Therapy Could Save Us
by Girl-luvs-manga
Summary: Tony is injured while on a mission. The only cure. Loki. Is he going to save Tony out of the goodness of his heart? Of course he isn't! Our favorite Trickster wants something in return. What is it you say? You'll have to read to find out! This is a contest with The Dreamer Eternal and writtingnut135723 although I have written with some collaboration from my BF Jailhouserocker3
1. Chapter 1

Only Therapy Could Save Us

"This is not how we wanted things to turn out." Steve said aloud to the rest of the Avengers as Tony lied lifeless on the bed in the medical facilities. It started out as just a simple mission…

~Flashback in Tony's Point of View~

_"__Chillax Capsicle we've fought a legion of aliens in New York, Doom won't be a problem!" Tony reassured Steve from his communicator in the Iron Man suit. It was just your typical villain doing what all villains do, evil. No big deal. He didn't understand why the Avengers had to be deployed when Fury could have easily sent Nat and Legolas without dragging him out of "guy time" with Point Break and the others. _

_On the way there Fury was debriefing them on what the latest intel they could gather on Doom was. Let me tell you something. It. Was. Practically. Nothing. I swear, SHIELD is supposed to be some tip top international organization! And you know what? All they have on Doom is that he is in Latveria and he has a weapon we have to destroy for just in case reasons! Girl scouts could have done a better job than these "specialists"! I can picture the scenario now…_

_Scenario_

_*Ding Dong* Doom opens door and sees two perky blonde girls wearing sashes and matching uniforms with a lot of badges. "Hello sir, we're the neighborhood girl scouts and we were wondering if you can buy some cookies to help us win a bike! We have thin mints, peanut butter patties, shortbread, etc." said one of the Girl Scout's with a perky voice and smile. Then while Doom is looking at a listing of each one he gets blasted by the other Girl Scout. Next you have agents look through the whole premises to find out every dirty little secret._

_End Scenario_

_Chuckling slightly at the plan he just came up with Tony went to sit near his exit for when the time came. After all, he was Iron Man, SHIELD's greatest asset and sexiest man in consultation. Pepper could definitely agree to that. Wait. I forgot Pepper and I are currently "not together". Our relationship is so on again off again that I'm not even sure when we're "together" or not. I'll have to ask JARVIS, he seems to keep track of these things. Still, even with that one annoying tendency, Pepper was much more interesting than those bimbos who only wanted him more his money or bragging rights. Well, I can't fault them for wanting to brag about sleeping with the awesome person ever!_

_Anyways, back to the mission. It should be pretty simple even with the lack of information on SHIELD's part. Surprise surprise Legolas and Nat were sitting next to each other. They say they are just "partners" or "teammates", but I bet a million dollars that they both have feelings for one another. Even if they ARE master assassins they are still pansies when it comes to the dance of loooove. Oh! It seems we've reached our destination. Time to kick robot butt!_

_Yeah now that I think about it, fighting robots is hard. Especially, when there is a seemingly endless amount of them. Maybe splitting up into two teams was not a good idea. Steve and Natasha were currently with him in order to make sure he didn't talk too obnoxiously and get caught. Thor, Bruce, and Clint were going to be the distraction when we find the weapon that Doom built. I, the genius of the group, built a device that would lead us to whatever it was emitting so many energy waves. Unfortunately though, all evildoers have booby traps and surveillance in their secret lair. So of course Doom would send robots to fight us so he can make a hasty retreat. So that's how we got back to our current predicament. _

_Doom must really love this lair. That or he really thinks that his robots are enough to stop us, the Avengers. On the communication links though, Thor is telling us that our foes are not just mere robots, but foes of Asgard as well. Really would it kill him to not speak like a character in Shakespeare's many plays? Well anyways, this sucks. Fighting these really tall blue people and an army of robots is getting a bit annoying. Although after a lot of kicking ass from guess who? Yours truly, with a little help from my colleagues; we beat all of our opponents. All that was left to do now was find the dreaded weapon Doom built. As boring as the mission seemed, to see the look on Doom's face when his plans are foiled was totally worth it. _

_For some reason Steve order to regroup in order to face off against Doom at full strength. Once we saw our host himself, we started aiming for an attack. Thor then warned us the Jotuns could burn us with their icy exterior. I simply noted that in my mind and started kicking ass all over the place. Next thing I know though is that Steve was able take down Doom, but not before I felt a blast of energy to the back of my suit. For some reason I fell to the ground and all the Avengers came to me with worry apparent. Steve was reassuring me that everything would be okay, but the question on my mind was what was wrong? When I tried to ask nothing came out and my vision started going black._

~End Point of View of Tony~ Back to Steve in Present Day

God, I really hope Stark would be okay. I know we're not the best of friends, okay understatement of the year, but I have grown to think of Stark as one of my close friends, not just a teammate. Even though in the beginning we held resentment towards each other, I don't want things to end this way. That's why we need to find some medical treatment for Tony and fast.

It is a magical malady that is hurting Tony. S.H.I.E.L.D. for all its interest in aliens and weapons, they have nothing for medical against their diseases. As if the Black Plague or smallpox events from our history hasn't taught them anything. Now we don't know if Tony will live or die. Thor left to Asgard in order to ask the Healers to check a sample of the foreign substance in Tony's blood. Finally the moment of truth came when Thor entered.

"My friends, my venture to the Agrarian Healers has been fruitful, but I regret to inform that this is a Jotun disease that only one person, to my knowledge, can cure."

"Who is it Thor?" Natasha asked.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

~Thor's Point of View~

"Loki." Thor said with a mournful tone. He truly hoped Loki was free to do what he pleased now that all others thought him dead. After looking reminiscing of the past he realized what a terrible brother he truly was, and how Loki deserved this freedom from father and everyone else. No one could appreciate Loki for he was in Asgard so; to live freely with his magic instead of imprisoned, seemed like the best gift he could give his brother.

~End Thor's Point of View~

While Thor was musing on his brother the Avengers were asking for alternative options:

"We go up to Doom and torture him until he gives us the cure we need." Natasha replied when they were thinking of another solution.

"Or we can go to Asgard and demand that their doctors use magic to fix this." Bruce told the others whilst they thought of another way.

If there something else they could do instead, they would gladly take it. No one wanted to deal with the mad God who wanted to take over the world. So their protests were justifiable, but in the end they agreed, Loki was their best option. He was the only person with the knowledge for curing Jotun diseases due to his curious mind for all branches of knowledge in the world. So, in a way, they were fortunate someone could cure the playboy, genius, philanthropist, and billionaire. So, the Avengers asked Thor to bring him to Earth in order to negotiate with the God of Lies. After all, nothing was free when it came from the Trickster God.

As it turns out, contacting someone thought to be dead by just about everyone in the known realms, was harder than they thought. Most of the Avengers believed Loki had at least kept in touch with his brother of the race that nurtured him. It seems the God still harbored contempt towards the family he once considered himself a part of. Yet, after using some of Tony's technology, a.k.a. JARVIS, they were able to get a faint idea of where he was currently located. It seems Vanaheim was the destination of choice by the trickster.

Thor then ordered Heimdall to transport them to Vanaheim, seeing as the Bifrost was repaired not too long ago. All of them going to meet Loki would not be a fruitful plan, so the person with the least hatred and most empathy had to go. Steve went reluctantly, but he knew that he couldn't risk losing a valuable teammate and good friend over a consensual loathing on both parties' parts. So, after looking throughout Vanaheim and locating Loki, Steve was sent to talk to the high functioning sociopath. What Steve did not know though, was that Loki was pondering some melancholy thoughts as well.

~Loki's Point of View Sort of~

Everything came with a price, which was a lesson Loki had learned in his many years. Even being alive had its own consequences. One of those was others. They all made judgments or took actions against you. In his case it was both. All judged him as the "God of Lies" and never truly trusted him. In all realms, his work meant nothing even though few things spoken by him were actually lies. Nobody was truly on his side, if they worked with him it was only to get something or bargain. Perhaps it was why he had few people to call friends or family. He could not help it though, how did one change the nature of their being?

As a child Loki had always been rambunctious. Thor would often be his conspirator in mischief…Thor, his brother in all but blood. Not that he would ever admit that he held such traitorous thoughts like that of the blonde oaf. Ever since his death though, he often reminisced of the good times and the bad times. Primarily the bad though. If you made a scale and compared the weight of both types of memories you would see the bad memories outweigh the good ones by a moderate amount.

Loki remembered hearing his destiny of bringing Ragnarok upon them, his six precious children and what has happened to them, and the day he found out he was a Frost Giant. The last one was the most detrimental to his mindscape. After being raised to see the evil that was Jotunheim and seeing the prejudice, experiencing it himself as well, he could hardly believe it and yet it was true. It was that particular realization that had earned him a great insecurity and made him want to be as Asgardian possible. What better example to follow then that of the beloved Prince Thor? Of course, it was not the road I should have chosen. No one on the other hand, would rebuke him saying that his life had been one of the upmost difficulty. So challenging that it was unlikely anyone's hardships could compare. Fate had been malevolent with him. But now was not the time to be reminiscing, for at the moment he had a visitor, a human visitor.

~End of Loki's Point of View~

Steve, after conversing with locals on anyone who avoided the public, found the information he was looking for. JARVIS was only able to give a general area on where in Vanaheim Loki was, but it was enough. He had to hurry though, Tony wouldn't last too long if he didn't get proper treatment from Loki and fast. Neither the Avengers nor S.H.I.E.L.D. knew too much of the effects of the disease. But now here he was looking at the man he deemed his enemy and only hope. So he pushed down his pride and strode over to the God making sure he was not too close but not too far.

"What brings you here Captain?" Loki said with faint amusement all the while preparing to fight if need be.

"We need your help." Was all Steve said. Loki thought about his words before replying.

"Now why would I help you? It is not like we are the best of friends nor are we reluctant allies." Loki told him as he seemed to get ready to leave. Steve's next statement peaked his curiosity though.

"Wait! It's Tony, he was poisoned with some kind of Frost Giant disease and you're the only one who has knowledge on them. So please, if you're half the good man Thor keeps talking about, please, I mean please help us." Desperation was apparent, but he did not want to see his friend die which was understandable. After all the good Captain would have to adjust to the ways of the new world he was a part of.

"Alright good Captain I'll give you my aide into curing the Man of Iron" Loki said before he was interrupted.

"Thank you! I really appreciate this and I know Thor will be happy to see you." Steve said honestly.

"Of course I'll help dear Captain. But of course all good deeds must be repaid. So while I heal the Man of Iron why don't you and the rest of the Avengers to be a service in return? After all it is only fair to do one a favor by repaying their good service is it not?" With the calculating look and smugness on Loki's face Steve realized he was screwed if he didn't do as the man asked. Oh well, he supposed the team could come up with conditions for their cooperation with the Trickster. If not on their own, then with a promise to cure Stark.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

~Loki's Point of View~

After agreeing to join the good captain and cure the Man of Iron in exchange for a favor in return, we made haste to join the other Avengers. Our arrival time was not long and it looked like all but Thor had been forced to come against their will. He'd be a fool to think they, especially Agent Barton, would be happy to see him. Everyone in the general vicinity could feel the deep intense hatred seeping out of Hawkeye. No one, not even himself blamed the man, after all I did take over his mind, but the intensity was a bit disconcerting seeing as it had been a lengthy while ago. Thor looked happy to see me, but restrained himself from speaking to me; he probably thought he would trigger my anger should he speak a word. Standing around was a bit of a bore so I decided to get moving. When Steve tried to stop me I merely looked at him and spoke.

"Well I assume we shall be heading to where the Man of Iron is in order for me to cure him while you fulfill a favor for me in return." Once I finished speaking the Avengers minus Stark whipped their heads to look at the captain. *Smirk* seeing the captain explain his predicament to the others would be no easy feat, but how amusing it would be to watch.

~Steve's Point of View~

If I was being totally honest I think this went better than I expected. Originally, I thought that Natasha would shoot me or give me a fatal wound for bringing Loki. Clint looked like he was on the verge of killing both of us, but Tony's condition must have been at the forefront of his mind at the time. Reasons for that were more than likely Natasha's words. Hawkeye always seemed to listen to her. Of course he didn't blame the man, after all she was a logical agent, and emotion didn't seem to register when important decisions had to be made. Although their comradery seemed deeper than that of a normal pair, perhaps they each harbored something more for the other. What it was they felt though, was not something they quite recognize, nor did he for that matter.

After Loki made a comment on us doing him a favor I could see all the Avengers at the moment give me a serious _'What favor?' _look. I sighed; this was going to be hard to explain. Why you may ask. Well for one, I had no idea what favor he wanted us to do, and two why should they do _him _a favor. Still, a deal was a deal.

"I'll explain when we get back to Stark Tower with Tony and we can negotiate what kind of favor we'll do for Loki. Is that alright with everyone?" I merely said and was waiting for some protest, I got none. Clint looked like he wanted to but Natasha put an arm on his shoulder and he refrained from doing so.

"Bro- Loki can you transport us to Midgard so that Heimdall does not see you alive and you may live the rest of days in peace?" Thor said finally having enough courage to speak to Loki albeit cautiously. To that Clint did protest.

"No way! No fricking way! I am not letting that evil bas-"He never finished that sentence because Loki had already transported us to Stark Tower with magic. In order to sort everything out we headed to the living room where we would discuss the matters of Loki healing Tony and the parameters of his favor.

"We're not going to help you take over the world." Natasha said with no nonsense, not going to budge even a little tone. It was what we were all thinking but no one had the guts to say it just yet as we were getting settled in the living room. Her statement made an air of awkwardness appears, but for some reason Loki just smirked.

"Fine and you cannot torture or arrest me in return." To that Natasha grudgingly nodded affirmatively.

"We're not going to destroy any other worlds either." That statement elicited a sigh of relief from Thor. Loki merely gave them an 'I'm holier-than-thou so I wouldn't stoop so low'. We had to hurry up with negotiations though, Clint looked like he wanted kill Loki more and more as we sat here. So it was up to me to get to the bottom of what it is exactly we had to accomplish as a favor.

"Loki, what is it that you want?" Being straightforward would get Tony his cure quicker. Beating around the bush would just make treatment less likely to work and his suffering prolonged. Luckily for me Loki was willing to tell me without it having to be dragged out of him.

"I wish to reunite with my beloved children, all six of them of course." Children. Children? CHILDREN!? Loki, the god of mischief, lies, and chaos, actually had offspring. It seems the Avengers minus Thor were all discombobulated by that statement. Thor looked more pained and guilty while Clint looked confused and disgusted. Now that was his shock of the century. Even villains had children. Apparently I said that aloud and everyone but Thor and Loki shuddered at the thought of kids growing up to be evil like their mother or father, maybe both.

"Yes well to make it fair for both parties involved I will heal the Man of Iron whilst you all retrieve the children I crave to spend plenty of evening with. So, do we have a deal?" Loki asked us taking a slightly mocking diplomatic tone. I looked towards the rest of the Avengers and we all nodded that it was something that we could do, but not without some rules.

"Alright we'll gather your children, but you are not to be left alone with our teammate so you'll have to be watched by S.H.I.E.L.D." Natasha said taking the initiative. To that Loki made a pensive face and then told us his thoughts on the matter.

"I refuse to be watched by an agency that would most likely just capture and torture me to further their weapons in order to have a fine chance at winning against any enemies from the other eight planets in Yggdrasil's tree, how about you have your invisible friend look after me instead." What was supposed to sound like a question was more of a demand, but we needed him to cure Tony.

"We have a deal."


End file.
